A third-generation matte painter – after his father Peter Ellenshaw and step-grandfather Walter Percy Day – Harrison Ellenshaw somehow carved out his own piece of matte history through his involvement in STAR WARS (1977) and a prestigious subsequent career
Harrison joined Disney’s matte department under supervision of Alan Maley and eventually took it over in 1974. Harrison worked on numerous project,s including an independent job on Nicolas Roeg’s THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH (1975) starring David Bowie
Harrison kept plodding away at Disney, mostly family films like PETE’S DRAGON (1978), before getting a call from Associated Producer Jim Nelson asking for his help on STAR WARS. Few understood the phenomenon about to be unleashed.
STAR WARS was the result of many talent VFX workers, including Harrison Ellenshaw and illustrator Ralph McQuarrie. Harrison contributed many famous scenes to the famous film, including the hyper-space jump and ending medal ceremony.
Following the first film’s success, George Lucas officially created INDUSTRIAL LIGHT AND MAGIC for its sequels. THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980) had nearly 4 times the matte paintings, but Lucas loved the old-school technique that Harrison supervised.
Another Harrison credit was TRON (1980), and although he one painted one matte painting (in the ‘real world’) the groundbreaking VFX he supervised were incredibly taxing. But his greatest achievement might be DICK TRACY (1990) – not just because I’m screening it on 19th November!
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